Our Story

Manila Water Company, Inc. is the exclusive provider of water and used water services to over six million people in the Manila Water Concession, particularly the East Zone of Metro Manila and Rizal Province, consisting of 23 cities and municipalities. These include Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, most parts of Quezon City, San Andres and Sta. Ana in Manila, as well as the following cities and towns in Rizal: Angono, Antipolo, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Tanay, Taytay, and Teresa.

Manila Water is a publicly-listed company and a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation, one of the oldest and most respected conglomerates in the Philippines with a diversified business portfolio.

Prior to Manila Water’s entry in 1997, the East Zone suffered from various water problems, such that only 26 percent of the area’s population had access to 24-hour water supply. This is mainly due to unaccounted for leakages brought about by disintegrated pipelines, meter tampering, and illegal connections, which also led to high incidence of water contamination and water-borne diseases.

When the Philippine government enacted the National Water Crisis Act, this paved the way for government-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to turn over the operation of water utilities in the East Zone concession to Ayala-led Manila Water. The Concession Agreement granted Manila Water exclusive rights to the use of land and facilities for the production, treatment, and distribution of water, as well as rights to operate the sewerage system.

Since 1997, East Zone residents have seen significant improvements in their water and wastewater services brought about by Manila Water’s efforts to expand distribution lines and reduce system losses. These measures increased water availability from 26% in 1997 to 99% of the central distribution system to date. From delivering only 440 million liters per day in 1997, Manila Water has recovered water losses to deliver over 1.3 billion liters of water daily to 6.8 million residents. Out of these, around 1.8 million people from marginalized communities were given access to clean and affordable water through the company’s flagship program, Tubig Para Sa Barangay, or Water for the Community.

Apart from caring for its customers by delivering safe and reliable water, the Company is also committed to caring for the environment. Manila Water ensures that water consumed by customers are properly treated before discharging it back to rivers and waterways. As the country’s leading used water service provider, Manila Water collects and treats wastewater through two methods: desludging of septic tanks and hauling the collected wastes to septage treatment plants, and direct conveyance of used water from households and commercial establishments via sewer pipelines to sewage treatment plants. These measures ensure that treated used water comply with the Class “C” effluent standards, or water that is safe for aquatic life, set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Ultimately, these used water management efforts aim to revive the three major rivers in Metro Manila—the Pasig, San Juan, and Marikina Rivers.

Reaching beyond borders, Manila Water has also ventured into major cities outside Metro Manila through Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV), and in the Asia-Pacific region through Manila Water Asia Pacific (MWAP). MWPV has brought its expertise through local subsidiaries in Clark Special Economic and Freeport Zone (Pampanga), Bulacan, Calasiao (Pangasinan), Laguna, Boracay Island, Cebu, Zamboanga City, and Tagum City (Davao del Norte). MWAP has established management contracts and investments internationally in Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand.

Manila Water Total Solutions Corporation (MWTS), meanwhile, is a wholly-owned subsidiary that handles product innovation and development. Its current offerings include Healthy Family Purified Water and other environmental services.

After 21 years of service, Manila Water remains dedicated to its customers and the environment, as it gears towards creating shared value and a sustainable future.